episode_0120

What kind of item is she trying to order that she’s speaking so cautiously?

In a pleasantly elevated mood, the dwarf waited for the vampire’s next words, trying to guess the answer.

“It’s definitely something out of the ordinary.”

From the moment the dwarf decided to entrust her with the custom order, he abandoned the thought that the item she wanted would be ordinary.

If it were an easily obtainable item, she would have already gotten it or wouldn’t have even mentioned it to him in the first place.

It must be something difficult to obtain or with many obstacles to acquire, hence why she’s entrusting the dwarf with the custom order.

“But… I really can’t guess, she’s quite the enigma.”

If the bartender in front of him were a typical vampire, he might have been able to easily guess what she needed.

Unlike her, most of her kind were immature fools intoxicated by their own strength.

Most likely, she ordered him to make a weapon or something similar with a high probability.

But she was different, she was something like a dissident in the vampire world, rational and mature.

So the dwarf couldn’t predict what she wanted.

The only thing that came to mind was a syringe that could help her consume others’ blood without infecting herself.

“This makes it even more intriguing.”

What answer will come out of her mouth?

Unable to contain his curiosity, the dwarf urged her with his eyes to respond, and the vampire, lowering her voice even more, slowly opened her pretty lips.

“…Gauntlets.”

“Your voice was too soft, I couldn’t hear. Could you please say it again?”

“I need sturdy and comfortable gauntlets.”

A completely unexpected answer, causing the dwarf to tilt his head in silence with a puzzled expression.

Gauntlets?

You mean the item that the police use to arrest criminals?

“Why do you need that?”

As the dwarf reflexively expressed his doubt, the vampire shrugged her shoulders and casually replied to his question.

“Well, I need it because I have a separate use for it, right?”

“Hmm…”

A slightly stiffened voice.

Sensing her reluctance to answer, the dwarf cleared his throat, gulped down the remaining contents of his glass, and then, to avoid the awkward atmosphere, stood up quietly with an exaggerated smile.

“Hahaha! Have a good meal today! Oh, and miss? The item you ordered will be completed in about a week if it’s short, or two weeks if it’s long!”

“Oh? Hasn’t the workshop been completed yet?”

“Once the workshop is completed, such a simple item will be finished in a day or two! By the way, are you going to come and pick it up yourself? Or…”

“Well, I want to come and pick it up myself, could you tell me until when you’re open?”

“Just come at your convenience. Vampires can’t wake up in the morning… If you leave a message in the early morning, I’ll wait until you come.”

“By the way, how much will it cost…”

“I can’t give you an estimate here, but if you give me your phone number, I’ll let you know through text. Please leave detailed information on the text.”

“I’ll do that.”

After bidding farewell to the vampire and finishing their conversation, the dwarf walked out of the cocktail bar, chuckling to himself.

“This… it’s not easy from the first customer. I never expected she would ask for such an item.”

Why did she order sturdy and comfortable gauntlets?

Although the purpose was unknown, the dwarf could roughly guess its utility.

He didn’t look like a police officer, so there was no way he would use it for the official purpose of arresting criminals.

Since he wanted something comfortable to wear, he wouldn’t even think of doing something bad to someone he had a grudge against.

If he had thought of committing a crime, he wouldn’t have mentioned how it felt when he wore it.

That means…

“As expected, are you trying to use it for that kind of thing?”

Hmm –

Just as he confirmed the usefulness of the handcuffs, his phone vibrated strongly.

Who could be contacting him at a time when not even spam messages come?

With a sense of doubt, the dwarf checked his phone and soon found a message from a vampire.

“Detailed order information…? Hmm, it seems like what I thought was right.”

He quickly confirmed that his thoughts were correct.

“Well, this is good timing, isn’t it?”

A disappointed smile appeared on the dwarf’s aged face.

—–

“Everyone, great job today! Have a good morning, and see you again in the evening!”

“Thank you, boss!”

The first day of August passed peacefully, unlike the chaotic start.

Whether it was because the number of customers had noticeably decreased or because of the endless stream of orders that made him feel like a factory worker, the boss’s voice was full of energy unlike the previous week.

…Honestly, it was understandable.

After spending the day tirelessly shaving ice as if he had become a factory worker due to the overwhelming orders, he finally regained the daily routine he desired. It was natural for his tension to rise, wasn’t it?

Of course, that didn’t mean it was completely normal.

“Phew, today went by really smoothly. How about you? You seemed to have dealt with some different species customers today too.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah! Nothing special happened to me either! Since they were customers I had talked to before, there wasn’t anything difficult!”

Anyway.

After finishing a tough day and heading back to his studio apartment, the conversation started with asking about each other’s well-being, and I could tell that Jiyu was slightly different from usual.

I don’t know… a feeling of unease?

Although she was trying hard to act like nothing was wrong, I couldn’t deceive my eyes, which had been friends with her for nearly eight years.

I subtly asked Jiyu a question, thinking that she might have done something wrong.

“Hey.”

“Uh, yes!?”

“Is there something you did wrong to me?”

“Haha! What, what are you talking about! I’m innocent, you know?”

“Well, I don’t know? But…”

I quickly blocked Jiyu’s path and looked her in the eyes without saying a word.

As we stared at each other for a moment, she quickly averted her gaze with a trembling look, avoiding my eyes with a lovely vampire.

Confirming this, I burst into laughter and whispered softly in her ear.

“…You seem too honest?”

“Ah…!”

To ease the tension, I even let the wind blow gently, making Jiyu flustered and unable to regain her composure.

I carefully held her so she wouldn’t collapse.

For a moment, Jiyu’s eyes became sharp, then returned to normal in the blink of an eye.

…What was that just now?

Thinking about the creepy feeling, I looked at Jiyu again, but all I saw was a cute vampire blushing shyly in my arms.

Deciding that I had seen it wrong, I smiled again and started to gently stroke her head.

“Tell me honestly. Did you do something wrong to me? No?”

“No, I didn’t! And… I’m not an easy vampire who just lets things go like this!”

“Hmm, if I stroke you about ten more times, you might open up…”

“N-no! I don’t like that! P-please…♡”

“Really, you want me to stop?”

“…Terrible, really.”

As I jokingly asked, Jiwoo gave me a stern look with furrowed brows.

Yeah, looking at this, I’m pretty sure I must have seen something wrong.

No matter how intimidatingly she glared at me, it seemed like this was her limit, but that look that seemed like she was going to devour me, was it even possible?

Pausing for a moment and continuing to stroke her head, I began to think about things that Jiwoo might have done wrong to me.

…What did I do wrong to make her so indecisive like this?

Did she secretly suck my blood while I was asleep?

No matter how many times I thought about it, that was really the only thing that seemed suspicious.

After stopping the petting, I cautiously touched the areas Jiwoo liked with my hands.

“…Sweetheart.”

“Why, why honey…?”

“To be honest, I’ll let it slide, did you suck today?”

“Th-that, hehe…”

Not long after realizing the truth, I gave her a disappointed smile as punishment.

“…What happens if you suck blood on a day that’s not predetermined?”

“I said I’d let it slide! Don’t be so reckless!”

“You’re the reckless one. If you don’t keep your promise and suddenly disappear, you’ll be responsible, right?”

“I-I’ll take responsibility and turn you into my kin! That, that’s okay, right?”

“Isn’t that, like, accepting my proposal to marry me?”

“Huh? Why is the conversation going in that direction?!”

Throwing the word marriage out there, Jiwoo once again went crazy and showed an amusing reaction.

Seeing that, I wanted to tease her more, but since it would take forever to calm her down again, I held back my boiling desire and retracted my statement about punishing her.

“Phew, okay. It’s kind of tacky for a man to say one thing and mean another. I’ll let it slide this time, but next time… you’ll know without me having to say it, right?”

“O-of course I’ll know! I’ll be careful…”

Ending with just a warning, Jiwoo breathed a sigh of relief.

Was she so grateful for letting it go? He then muttered weakly to himself.

“Thank goodness, really.”

…Was skipping two blood-sucking cycles such a big punishment for her?

No, right? Whether in the past or now, I remember her obsession with blood-sucking not being that intense.

“Feeling uneasy… must be because of my mood, right?”

I tried to brush off the anxious feeling.

And then I started walking back to my studio apartment.